


Dichotomy

by Fairia



Series: An Unlikely Friendship [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Best Friends, Friends take care of each other, Gen, Good Parents Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, character exploration, mentions of neglect/abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 04:49:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12161862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairia/pseuds/Fairia
Summary: Dichotomy: something with seemingly contradictory qualities.Adrien was simultaneously insanely popular and a social misfit, and being so popular actuallyincreasedhis distance from the general student body.  It had takenmonthsto figure it out, and it wasn’t until after the Bubbler incident that it really clicked.This story is set within the Unlikely Friendship universe.





	Dichotomy

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Some swearing. Mentions of abuse/neglect. Nothing graphic, I promise.
> 
> This story is set within the Unlikely Friendship headverse, probably just after Evillustrator, but before the events of chapter 2 (Spitfire)
> 
> But wait, Fairia! If this falls in the AUF universe, why isn't it just in that fic?  
> \- Good question! As I said repeatedly in AUF, I don't really have a plot for it. It's just kind of a bunch of one-shots and short-stories made up within my own headverse. There's no real organization or order. And I didn't really think anyone would actually read it anyway, or I'd have set chapters 2-4 as their own story, rather than tacking them onto chapter 1. (And I may yet go back and do exactly that.) But, since you lovely people seem to have an interest in reading my ramblings, I'm going to give the different stories their own space, so nobody has to be confused at the apparent lack of organization.

Adrien was simultaneously insanely popular and a social misfit, and being so popular actually _increased_ his distance from the general student body. The dichotomy of the situation gave Nino a headache. 

Nino hadn’t even realized it at first. That first day at school had been in a lot of ways a very lasting disaster. Coming in with Chloe hanging off of his arm, casually signing the pieces of paper and pictures that were thrust at him, had been a bad start. The first impression everyone got was “super famous” and “friends with Chloe.” Neither of which bred a comfortable familiarity.

Half of the girls in school had crushes on him. And while that _sounded_ like it should be a good thing, it really wasn’t. Some of them were bold as brass in their advances, others just wanted to coo over their celebrity crush and pine from afar, and the remainder were too scared to approach Adrien, intimidated because they weren’t as famous or beautiful as he was. The other half of the female population either weren’t in their class, or were only acquainted with him and fine keeping things that way. The remaining one percent who would have actually liked to get to know Adrien were chased off by Chloe.

Which whittled the total female population of Collège Françoise Dupont that Adrien could make friends with down to, like, five girls, Nino reasoned. Two of whom were thankfully in their class, and the hypothetical remaining three were somewhere sprinkled amongst the fangirls.

And the hypothetical five had only recently bumped up from four because once Alya stopped trying to overtly throw Adrien and Marinette together, Marinette actually somewhat overcame her nervousness and was able to _speak_ to Adrien. Granted, there was still the plenty of bouts of stammering and blushing, but Marinette was earnest in her stumbling attempts to connect with him over shared love of anime and video games.

Then there was Alya, whom had never given a flip about Adrien’s celebrity status. Bless that girl, she provided the poor boy with an example of a (mostly) _normal_ teenage female. 

The boys in the school were a little harder to read. Nino was sure there were probably a few who had a crush on Adrien, but Adrien didn’t swing that way so they were out of luck. A good chunk of them seemed to view him as _competition_ (which he kind of was, but it was completely unintentional), others dismissed him as a stuck-up pretty boy, and the rest didn’t seem to care one way or another, but didn’t really want to be in proximity to Chloe so they stayed away.

It would have taken a freaking _diplomat_ to navigate these hormone-infested waters, and Adrien failed spectacularly, because he had no real social skills.

It took Nino the better part of a month to understand that, and when he saw it, it was a lightbulb moment. Adrien always seemed to be surrounded by people, so Nino had thought he was making friends (and privately wondered if he might get lost in the shuffle). But it wasn’t a steady group, it was different people almost every single day. The repeats were usually either the especially bold girls who were just looking to jump a celebrity to say they did it, or other teenage boys who were sizing up their competition.

Another thing that had Nino fooled was that Adrien was _really good_ at making small talk: he was perfectly erudite on a wide variety of topics, in no small part because of his ridiculously strict and sheltered upbringing. He’d been rubbing elbows with celebrities since he was little thanks to his dad, and knew how to make polite conversation. 

But the second it became more than small talk - the moment it became _personal_ \- Adrien was out of his depth. And if someone managed to get around _that_ awkwardness, they were face-to-face with the fact that Adrien had essentially been raised in a completely alien culture. The unspoken rules of peer interaction that literally every other child learned, Adrien didn’t know. And his father’s super-strict limitation of Adrien’s after school socialization left him struggling to adapt.

Nino had a front row seat for the entire shit show due to sheer proximity. And when Adrien turned to him to earnestly ask for an explanation on what he’d done wrong _this_ time, Nino didn’t have it in him to rebuff the gawky boy. So in the times between trying to teach him the social rules and cues that flew right over his head, he got to know Adrien. And liked what he found.

Adrien was, first and foremost, a gentle soul, and was genuinely a kind person. He’d been hurt, badly, (and was still hurting, honestly), and instead of growing hard and cold, he did his best to make sure he didn’t hurt anyone. It had been tough to explain that sometimes (especially in the case of pushy girls who weren’t intimidated by Chloe), hurting them a little bit from the start saved both of them a lot of hurt later on.

Adrien was also a _total dork._ That boy was seriously into anime, because a tablet was easier to carry around than a book. There were lulls between appointments, time spent in cars or between shoots, and Adrien had been expected to find a way to entertain himself. Apparently, after having been told repeatedly to “sit down and be quiet” or “stop pestering people”, Adrien had put Netflix on his tablet and started looking for something to watch. Shows lasting the fifteen to thirty minutes between calls was nearly perfect, and Adrien quickly started devouring the cartoons.  

Adrien was also mischievous. It was so far buried under layers of trained behaviors and social awkwardness that it took Nino nearly half a year to find it. Adrien loved puns and terrible jokes. He _knew_ they were terrible, and played it up just to hear people groan. 

He liked to play little tricks. Nothing malicious in nature, but Nino found himself discovering random songs added to his mp3 player that he _knew_ he hadn’t downloaded. Adrien had created a profile on the Ladyblog and used it to start crazy rumors just to watch people spin themselves up. He’d even hacked Alya’s administrative access and posted a random picture of Chat Noir and Ladybug taking a selfie. He flatly refused to say _how_ he got the picture, and Nino knew better to even breathe that he _might_ know who did the hacking, or Alya would skin them both and call it collateral damage. Plus, it somehow led to the _actual_ Chat Noir occasionally posting pictures or livestreams, so in the end Alya was pleased as punch.

But the clincher, what had simultaneously baffled and _infuriated_ Nino, was the realization that Adrien was quite casually neglected or abused in turns by nearly _everyone_ around him. 

It had taken _months_ to figure it out, and it wasn’t until after the Bubbler incident that it really clicked. Nino cut himself some slack, because the neglect and abuse wasn’t obvious: Adrien wasn’t showing up to school emaciated or with black eyes. In fact, anyone in the school would think that he was the most privileged child around (excepting Chloe). Rich, famous, good looking, and had literally everything any normal teenager would want, and then some more.

Even the statements that should have set off warning bells were said so _casually_ it was easy to overlook them.

“My father? Oh, he’s out of town. I saw him a few weeks ago; we had dinner together.”

“Friends? Ah...no, I never really hung out with other kids. Except Chloe.”

“Father doesn’t like people over the house. He says it interferes with my studies.”

“No, I’ve never had a birthday party. Father says they’re a waste of time, and I can’t eat sweets anyway. But I do get a cookie on my birthday, and that’s always nice.”

Adrien’s only real, consistent human interaction was his father’s secretary, who seemed to view him as some kind of burdensome oddity, and a driver called “Gorilla” who didn’t really speak. Friends, Adrien had been told, were a waste of time and would only hinder his success later in life. Nino was almost certain that the only reason that Adrien was allowed in public school at all was because his father thought it would keep his recalcitrant son amused. It wasn’t like Adrien needed public education - thanks to his equally demanding tutors, Adrien was actually a few years ahead of the curriculum, and could probably sit the baccalauréat if he wanted to. 

Gabriel Agreste demanded perfection, had a low threshold for disobedience, and punished Adrien harshly for every perceived infraction, both verbally and by revoking “privileges.” ( _Nino_ asking to host a birthday party had gotten _Adrien_ in trouble, for heaven’s sake.) His father seemed to view him as less of a _son_ and more as an _employee_ , or perhaps a doll. Adrien was expected to do what he was told, when he was told to do it, and to do it _well._ Otherwise, nobody really paid attention to his existence, and he was by and large confined to his bedroom. And even if that bedroom was larger than Nino’s apartment and stocked with everything a teenage boy could possibly want, Adrien was in it _alone._

Adrien had spent most of his life being isolated, ignored, neglected, and emotionally abused even as he was held to ridiculously high standards. The fact that it was done so casually, so matter-of-factly, that every adult in his life automatically accepted that this was the way things should be, _infuriated_ Nino. The stupid, narrow, painful world his father had raised him in was absolutely normal for Adrien, and Nino _despised_ that.

Nino had _raged_ when he figured it out. Alya had been up in arms with him, Marinette had been quietly horrified, and the three of them spent several days trying to figure out what they could _do._ And as infuriating as it had been, the answer boiled down to “nothing.” There was no legal basis to go to the authorities, and they were only sixteen, so it wasn’t like Adrien could legally leave on his own either. And even if he could, there was nowhere for him to go to: no job, no skills, no income… Or rather, he had a job and skills, but his income was funneled into an untouchable account and everything else depended on the goodwill of his father. Who only had goodwill when Adrien was completely under his thumb.

“Alright.” Alya slapped her hand down on Nino’s desk. “This is enough. We’re going in circles.”

“Ugh.” Nino groaned, part frustration part agreement. They really weren’t getting anywhere. 

Marinette was doodling idly in her sketchbook, and only nodded despondently. It had been especially hard for her, in a completely different way than it had been for Nino (who was mad as hell) or Alya (who was mad in principle, but not _personally_ offended). Gabriel Agreste was Marinette’s favorite designer, and she’d always thought she knew everything there was to know about Adrien. The realization that her idol was an abusive asshole and her crush was abused had really hit her hard.

“We need another perspective.” Alya declared. “Marinette-”

Marinette looked up, eyebrow raised.

“-we need to talk to your parents.”

“My parents?” Marinette’s brow furrowed.

“Yes.” Alya said decisively. “Our parents are alright-”

“Speak for yourself.” Nino muttered.

“-but they’re not right for this.” Alya finished, shooting Nino a glare. “We need a sit down, face-to-face with a set of adults who are going to take us seriously and not dismiss us. Your parents are the ones who fit the bill.”  


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

When Marinette had initially approached her parents and said that they needed to talk, Tom and Sabine had been nervous. When Marinette had further clarified that “they” meant herself, Alya and Nino, they’d been simultaneously relieved and even more worried. They couldn’t imagine too many situations where three teenagers needed to have a sit-down conversation with adults, and none of them were good.

Still, they had nodded, and a dinner meeting was set up. Because nervousness was always easier overcome with food to distract from the intensity. So that week, the desk chair from the office was hauled into the kitchen and Tom and Sabine sat down with three nervous teenagers.

“So… We’ve got a problem.” Nino said, much to their surprise. “With a friend of ours.”

“What kind of problem?” Sabine asked.

“We, uh, we think he’s being neglected.” Nino replied nervously. “Emotionally abused. But we can’t prove it. And we don’t think anyone would really believe us, or take us seriously.”

“So you came to us?” Tom asked quizzically. 

“Yeah.” Nino nodded. “Because we don’t know what to _do._ I mean, we’ve known him for a while, and we _just_ figured it out, you know? And it’s not right, but we don’t know how to help.”

Sabine’s brow furrowed as she glanced around the table and did a quick head count. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Where is Adrien?”

Tom glanced at her, confused, but Sabine felt vindicated in the way the three kids all shared a telling look. Marinette sank deeper in her chair, Alya chewed her lip, and Nino used his fork to prod his pork chop despondently.

“He had fencing right after school.” Marinette offered.

“Then an evening photo shoot.” Nino said.

“He kind of has a hard time getting away to hang out.” Alya said. “Usually he can only manage it if it’s school-related, or if his dad’s secretary is feeling guilty.”

“Well,” Tom said, clearly seeing the same thing Sabine did, “I agree that this is hard to believe. Why do you think Adrien is being neglected?”

“It’s just...things he’s said.” Nino said slowly. “That aren’t...right.”

“We wrote it all down.” Marinette said, getting up and retrieving a notebook. 

“It’s not any one specific thing, really.” Alya expounded. “It’s a lot of little things, that don’t seem too bad individually. But...Nino was the one who noticed it.”

“I was banned from ever going to his house again because I asked his dad if we could throw him a birthday party.” Nino blurted out.

Tom and Sabine both blinked.

“It was, uh, what led to the Bubbler thing.” Nino said sheepishly. “Adrien mentioned that he’d _never_ had a birthday party, and I figured that was weird, but he’s like, mega rich and famous, so maybe it was just a rich people thing? Or because Adrien was homeschooled and didn’t know a lot of people. So I went to his dad and asked if we could have a party for him.”

“That doesn’t sound unreasonable…” Tom said slowly.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t make a good impression.” Nino mumbled. “I was nervous! He was just standing at the top of the steps, looking at me like I was some kind of _bug._ I called him ‘dude.’”

“You did what?” Alya laughed, amused. Marinette’s mouth hung open, and she looked like she couldn’t decide between laughter and horror.

_“Super_ nervous.” Nino frowned. “He was just...cold. And treating me like something he’d scraped off of his shoe, you know? But, anyway, Adrien got home while I was asking, and he asked his father if he could please have a party. And his dad was all like ‘I decide what’s best for my son, and I’ve decided you’re a bad influence. Leave my house and never come here again.’”

“That’s pretty harsh.” Sabine said. Privately, she was appalled. While she was sure Nino was exaggerating the retelling a bit, she also thought that the reaction was way overblown for a simple teenage request. And she knew _Nino._ He was inherently a kind, respectful boy, so she very much doubted he’d done something to gravely insult Adrien’s dad...outside of calling him “dude.”

“Oh, it gets better.” Alya’s mouth twisted. “Mr. Agreste grounded Adrien after Nino left.”

Tom and Sabine blinked. 

“Okay,” Tom leaned forward. “Tell us more.”

After that, the stories poured out of the three kids like water sluicing off of a roof in the rain. It was a little confusing, but them having written everything down helped Tom and Sabine keep it all straight. And the kids were right - in and of themselves, nothing stood out as being overtly abusive or neglectful. Just strict. But putting everything they’d seen _together_ painted a far different picture.

“And - and he acts like this is all so _normal!”_ Nino wrung his cap in his hands. “Like _everyone’s_ parents treat them like some kind of… of _doll._ Perform for guests, do what I say, but when I don’t need you, go away and stay in your room.”

“We don’t know how to help.” Marinette’s lip quivered. “It’s not right, but we don’t know what we can do.”

Tom leaned back in his chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Well, unfortunately, I think you’re right, and there’s nothing you can do from a legal standpoint.”

All three kids wilted.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” Sabine added. Three sets of hopeful eyes looked up at her. “Unfortunately, you’re already doing all you can.”

Nino, Alya and Marinette all glanced at each other, confused. 

“Be his friend.” Tom clarified. 

“I know it doesn’t _feel_ like you’re doing much,” he continued, “but if he’s been as sheltered and isolated as you’ve described, then your friendship is probably very important to him. It certainly sounds like he’s fought to keep it, and from what you’ve described, fighting his father for anything is probably very difficult for him.”

"Now, I’m not saying to pay special attention to him.” Tom cautioned. “Or be nice _because_ he needs help. That won’t do him any good either. Treat him normally. He needs to learn how to interact, socially, with his peers, and that’s you guys. You can provide a buffer as he learns, or advice, but trying to shield him won’t help. Just be there, and be people he can count on.”

Three teenagers sat and digested that for a moment.

“That sucks.” Nino finally stated. 

“It does.” Sabine said sympathetically. “I wish we could fix it. But from a legal standpoint, we can’t, and _you_ could get in serious trouble if you tried. So you have to work around the rules.”

“Are you encouraging us to be sneaky, Mrs. Cheng?” Alya asked slyly.

“I’m encouraging you to be _clever.”_ Sabine smiled. “From what you’ve said, Adrien escapes this… Gorilla? The driver? He gets away from him a lot.”

“Yes, that’s the driver...bodyguard...person.” Nino nodded.

“Sounds like he escapes him pretty often.” Sabine continued. “So either his father is willingly employing somebody who is bad at their job, or…”

“Or he’s letting him get away on purpose!” Alya exclaimed.

“Now you’re getting it.” Sabine winked. “But you can’t be _obvious. Obvious_ could result in Gorilla losing his job, and that’s not going to help. That means no barging in, Alya.”

“Hmph.” Alya mock-pouted. “You know me too well. Don’t worry, Mrs. Cheng! I can be sneaky!”

_“And subtle.”_ Tom added wryly.

“Might be a bit harder for her.” Nino said, dodging Alya’s indignant swipe. “What? You’re _not_ subtle. The only reason Adrien hasn’t noticed your antics is because he’s been a social shut-in.”

“My antics?” Alya asked archly.

Nino gave her a flat look, jerking his thumb towards Marinette. “There’s a betting pool.”

“Wh-what?” Marinette yelped.

“Alya?” Sabine asked confusedly. “Do...you have a crush on Adrien too?”

“Too?” Alya asked cautiously. “Umm...nooo…”

Tom and Sabine exchanged confused looks. 

“Alya has been trying to throw Marinette at Adrien for the past six months.” Nino said blandly. “Sometimes literally.”

Tom and Sabine both regarded Alya with raised eyebrows. Marinette groaned, burying her flaming face in her hands.

“W-well, _someone_ has to help!” Alya’s face flushed red. “And it’s not like I’m locking them in closets or anything. Just trying to put them in situations where they have to actually _speak_ to each other.”

“Alya…” Marinette sighed.

“You just sit there! And stare and stammer!” Alya defended. “If we wait for you to make a move, you’ll be gray before you graduate to complete sentences.”

Sabine sighed. “If Marinette is nervous, forcing her in front of him probably won’t help much. Let her work at her own pace...or not at all. If she can’t approach him on her own, maybe she shouldn’t be _trying.”_

“Mama!” Marinette looked betrayed.

“Sorry dear.” Sabine gave her a sympathetic smile. “But a boyfriend should be a friend first. You can’t truly grow close to someone that you’re afraid to be yourself around.”

Marinette frowned and studied the tabletop. 

“But the point was, you can’t be overt.” Tom resumed the conversation. “You’ll have to think of ways to work around the rules that his dad has in place, not force him into breaking them so his father comes down on him harder.”

“This is bullshit.” Nino muttered to his plate, before flushing red. “Oh, uh, sorry Mr. Dupain! Mrs. Cheng!”

“Forgiven.” Sabine said. “But you’re not wrong. And I’m proud of you three, for noticing and wanting to help. You’re good friends.”  


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Later, once Alya and Nino had gone home, Sabine caught her daughter’s attention before she could disappear into her room.

“Marinette.” She said kindly. “We need to talk.”

Marinette couldn’t hide her wince. “What about, maman?”

Sabine’s eyebrow arched.

Marinette sighed. “I know.”

“You do? Good. Then let’s get some tea and sit down.” Sabine replied. “I need to ask you a question, and I need an honest answer from you.”

Marinette winced again, but followed her mother. The two were soon settled on the couch, mugs in hand and a small plate of cookies on the coffee table. Marinette shifted nervously, unable to settle.

“Marinette.” Sabine regarded her evenly.

“Yes maman?” She asked trepidatiously. 

“Do you really want to help Adrien?”

Marinette blinked. That was _not_ the question she had been expecting. 

“Of course!” She blurted out, straightening.

“I need you to really consider this.” Sabine said, lips pursed. “Because if you _really_ want to help him, you need to be his _friend._ You have to be able to talk, and listen, and find common ground. Not just memorize his schedule and sigh at the back of his head.”

Marinette flushed. “Oh… you know about that, huh?”

“I’ve seen your room.” Sabine said wryly. “And if you decide that what you want is to just keep having a crush on Adrien, than that’s fine. Let Alya and Nino help, and bow out.”

Marinette’s brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to reply, but Sabine held up her hand.

“Adrien has plenty of fangirls.” Sabine said. “He does not need another. If he wants a superficial girlfriend who is only interested in the image his father presses on him, there are girls lining up for that job. But you are in a position to be _more.”_

“Just stop loving him then?” Marinette asked bitterly. “Just like that?”

“Mari honey,” Sabine smiled gently. “That’s not real love, that’s _infatuation._ And in any other case, it would be fine. Having a crush and doodling their name in your notes is exciting, and thrilling, and part of being a teenager. It’s alright to _enjoy_ it. But if you want to get to know the real Adrien Agreste, then you have to let the crush go, and be his friend, and be able to approach him as you would anyone else.”

Marinette fiddled with her mug, sighing despondently, and Sabine’s heart ached for her little girl.

“I remember the feeling.” Sabine said kindly. “The stuttering, stammering, heart-pounding giddiness. But if you can’t move past that, there’s no future there. And if you’re only agreeing to help because you hope that helping will make him fall in love with you, you’re setting yourself up for failure.”

“Mom…” Marinette looked stricken, but didn’t say anything else.

“So, you have the hardest job of all.” Sabine said seriously. “Nino is already his friend. Alya does not love him. But if you truly want to help him, you have to let go of the fantasy, and be willing to set aside your agenda to focus on what _he_ needs.

“And if you can’t, _that’s okay.”_ Sabine laid her hand on her daughter’s arm. “It’s fine. And nobody will think less of you for acknowledging your own weakness. Pulling someone down off of a pedestal is hard. So I need you to think, _really think,_ on what it is you want, and what you’re willing to sacrifice. Can you do that for me? Please?”

Marinette sniffled a little. “Yeah,” She said thickly. “I can. I’ll consider it carefully, I promise mama. Can...can I go to my room now?”

“Sure honey.” Sabine sighed. “I love you, and I’m sorry. I’m here if you want to talk, okay?”

“Okay mama, I love you.” Marinette set her tea down and leaned over, kissing her mother’s cheek before she headed upstairs.

Sabine sighed. Once the footsteps had faded, she picked up the two mugs and the plate and retreated to the office, where Tom was working.

“So…” Her husband looked at her cautiously. “Is girly bonding time over?”

“Oh, I don’t know abou girly bonding time, but we did talk. Or, well, _I_ talked. And she listened, I hope.” Sabine handed him Marinette’s mug and set the plate down between them.

“She’s a good girl.” Tom consoled. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

“I know.” Sabine sipped her tea contemplatively. “She’s just already sacrificed so much - I don’t want her to have to give up _more.”_

“Teenage girl problems _and_ superhero problems.” Tom shook his head. “What did we ever do to deserve this?”

“She’s exceptional.” Sabine smiled.

“Must be because you’re her mother.” Tom winked.

“Flatterer.” Sabine smiled at her husband fondly. “...Think Chat Noir knows that she’s Ladybug?”

“Hmm.” Tom leaned back and sipped the tea. “No, I don’t think so.”

“No?” Sabine cocked an eyebrow at her husband.

“No. I think he just likes Marinette.” Tom said. “It’s not anything I can really pinpoint… But you’ve seen how he treats Ladybug. He’s pretty over-the-top...it took him months to calm down. And with what they do, there’s not a lot of personal space involved...which is not something I like, by the way.” He grimaced. “I want at least a meter between my daughter and any boy. I don’t care who it is.”

“There there.” Sabine patter her husband’s hand consolingly. “We’ll make sure Mari is on birth control before it comes to that.”

Tom shot her a appalled look and Sabine hid her smile in her mug.

_“Point being,”_ Tom continued, frowning at his wife, “Even if it’s all flirtations and banter, Lady Bug and Chat Noir are comfortable with each other, physically. Even when they’re not fighting, they’re close to each other. They’re _comfortable_ in each other’s personal space, and I think that if Chat knew Marinette was Lady Bug, he’d be more comfortable in her space than he is.”

“So you’re saying there’s too much distance between them?” Sabine asked innocently.

_“Which I’m not complaining about.”_ Tom stressed. “I’m just saying that he holds Marinette at a more respectable distance than he does Lady Bug. If he knew who she was, I don’t think he’d be able to.”

“Mmm.” Sabine considered. “I wonder why she hasn’t told him?”

Tom shrugged. “I wonder why she hasn’t told us. Who knows. She’ll get there when she gets there.”

“Think she’s left yet?” Sabine wondered.

Tom glanced at the clock on his desktop. “Oh yeah. Definitely. I just hope she got her homework done _first.”_

**Author's Note:**

> So in all honesty, Adrien’s situation is what drew me into ML...well, that and my kids wouldn’t shut it off, so it was on every time I walked in the living room. In some ways, it reminds me of a story I read as a teenager, called The Only Alien on the Planet. Superficially, the plotline of that story bears absolutely no resemblance to Adrien’s own plight; the story is about a teenage girl trying to unravel the mystery surrounding a boy in her class, who is effectively a functioning mute. However, the boy is remarkably similar to Adrien in the fact that he is at once fully submersed and _completely cut off_ from society and his own peers. 
> 
> The second thing is that Adrien’s home life is absolutely not a healthy one. From what I’ve seen of the show, he is emotionally abused and neglected. Worse, it’s no big deal. And while I understand that ML is a child’s cartoon, I am an adult. I am a _parent._ And as a parent, I _hate_ how he is treated.
> 
> Basically, the psychological and sociological implications of Adrien’s unique situation fascinate and horrify me.


End file.
